Eat. Live. Enjoy.

I just wanted to shoot you a quick note to let you all know that I am still alive, well and cooking up things in the kitchen. And I am working on a project that I am SO EXCITED about!

I’ve been working my tail off to get my new site, The Simple Kitchen, up and running. Why you ask? When I started Food-Life Balance, I was not using my own original photography and some of the recipes here are simple modifications of other people’s creations. So this new site will have similar recipes as you have seen here but I’ve been upping my game in learning photography (although the picture above is not an accurate portrayal of that – this was something I snapped with my iPhone while at a cafe) and working on creating all my own recipes to post on the site. The focus will still be simple, healthy, plant-based recipes that taste delightful!

And the good news for all of you that subscribe here is that you will automatically start receiving those recipes in a few weeks when the site goes live. Food-Life Balance will stay available so if you reference this site for recipes often (I know I do!), you’ll still be able to find them here. I just won’t be adding new content here as it will be added at The Simple Kitchen.

It’s a weekday evening and I arrive home from work to find fresh corn, kale, sweet potatoes and a few onions. It doesn’t sound like much but then I realized I could make a combination of my Summer Veggie Succotash and my Sweet Potato and Brussels Sprout Hash. I was NOT prepared for the deliciousness that followed. It honestly tasted like a veggie paella but without the rice! As Scott so eloquently put it “it just clumps together so nicely”!

You can use regular paprika but I highly recommend the spicy kind for this dish – well, for any dish really :).

So I hope you enjoy the ‘clumps’ and flavor of this easy, simple and fresh dish!

Place oil and onion in a saute pan and heat until onions become fragrant. Add in shredded sweet potatoes and cook on medium to high heat (about 5-8 minutes) until potatoes begin to brown.

Meanwhile, cut corn kernels from the cobs: Hold an ear by its stem end in a deep bowl. Use a small sharp knife to cut off the kernels, letting them and the ‘milk’ fall into the bowl. Discard the cobs.

Once potatoes are ready add the corn, beans and spices. Mix well and cook for another 5 or so minutes.

Add kale or spinach and either cover to wilt greens or mix frequently until the greens are wilted.

Spice as needed and serve warm.

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Notes: Feel free to add any additional veggies you’d like. Recipe is shown with tomatoes added in after the sweet potatoes browned but I actually preferred the taste of it the time I made it without tomatoes.

This is the last of the recipes I needed to update after my birthday party but I think this was the crowd favorite. The chimichurri sauce is such an easy yet flavorful sauce and makes everything taste incredible. You can roast any veggies that are in season but I loved the look of the white cauliflower with the green sauce and orange carrots.

First off, I am so happy to hear that other people enjoy looking at pictures of food as much as I do :). So by request, I have added some additional pictures to my Photo Essay: A Taste of Greece– I hope you enjoy!

Now onto this week’s recipe – The last time I made fava beans was years ago and I recall a lot of work only to produce a few measly beans… So perhaps you can understand why my ears perked up on Sunday at the farmer’s market when the gentleman behind me asked his wife to grab some favas to BBQ. I asked him about it and he said he just throws the whole thing on the BBQ and they are delicious. Hmmmmmmm……

Scott and I spent the past few weeks touring, tasting and exploring Greece. One major takeaway, I have from the trip is: Keep it Simple! As you’ll see below, it is quality over creativity in these dishes and they were just so darn good!

I have to thank Edible Perspective for the inspiration for this one. I got this delightful recipe in my inbox at the perfect time as I had just made my Tortilla-less Poblano Enchiladas and had some leftover enchilada sauce. My only issue is that my little one bedroom SF apartment does not lend itself to grilling… so I had to modify.

Below is a recipe you can use for a delicious gluten and dairy free pizza (or throw some cheese on it if you’d like). I decided to go with a mexican theme because I had the left over sauce, but this would be good with tomato sauce and toppings of choice as well….

In the past, I have not posted many libations of this sort, but I got some requests after my mostly vegan birthday soiree. So here goes! For a little twist, feel free to sub out the whisky for tequila, vodka or even champagne… bubbs really do make everything better 🙂

The weather has been so nice out lately and a green healthy chilled soup was exactly what I needed to finish off the weekend! This recipe is incredibly easy and is the perfect amount of cool, fresh and crisp. It’s a nice way to end a warm day (or start the day!)…It even becomes a nice healthy portable lunch if you put it in a mason jar and top with some nuts & beans. So basically you can have breakfast, lunch or dinner in 5 minutes, really?!…